We arrived at our hotel totally shot or at least I was from lack of sleep. It was 10:30 AM 8 Feb when we got in with the time change. We had left just after midnight on the 7th. No sleep on the trip to San Salvador and none for there to San Jose, Costa Rica. Finally nearly morning this morning I fell asleep. Noisily as I learned from MB.
We went on a City Tour today. The main plaza was showing a 6 month show of a local sculptor with about a dozen large outdoor pieces. All the new pieces were very male, hands and arms over-sized, many emerging from slabs of stone or wood. The top photo shows a stance not unlike one that I use to help my sciatica.
The lower photo is one celebrating the victory of Costs Rica over Nicaragua in the late 1800s. The battle which sounds very tag-tag was said to have lasted 45 minutes. Crafted inFrance it shows a woman hoisting a Costa Rican flag surrounded by other women. All Mothers of their countries – Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua. The lady hoisting the flag is Costa Rica’ Mother.
After driving through downtown through truly awful traffic we stopped at the National Theater. This was a national attempt at the end of the nineteenth century to mark the cultural beginning of the country. The building is European and to be specific Parisian although the guide called it German Inspired. The marble came from Carrara , Italian craftsmanship is everywhere. It is a small beautiful theater. There was a performance in rehearsal when we were there.
The grand salon has gorgeous parquet floors of hundreds of types of Central American woods. The floor has only one small portion not covered by carpeting. Furniture is velvet and roped off to all except those who pay $5,000./night.
We went next to a nonprofit center oriented to women and children which is located in a slum area of San Jose. It is a house turned into classrooms and meeting rooms, and a nice playground.
Leaving tomorrow for the rain forest. placeholder://
daily woodring 